Brown's reception was for 4 yards. It just barely crossed the goal line. It effectively sealed the Steelers' AFC North crown. It came in December.

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Eight years ago, in Baltimore, the Steelers were looking to wrap up the division in a Dec. 15 meeting. They were trailing late and driving downfield. Here's former Sun beat writer Jamison Hensley's take on the dramatic ending:

Depending on your perspective, the Ravens lost the AFC North yesterday by either the nose of a ball or an official's call.

In a classic battle between the NFL's top two defenses, the Ravens watched the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrate a 13-9 victory and the division championship on Santonio Holmes' controversial 4-yard touchdown catch with 43 seconds left in the game.

The margin was so slim that the Ravens actually thought they had held the Steelers out of the end zone for a few minutes. But referee Walt Coleman overruled the original decision, signaling a touchdown after a replay review.

According to Coleman, the replay showed that Holmes had control of the pass and the ball broke the plane of the goal line -- an opinion not shared by Ravens coach John Harbaugh.

"It didn't look to me like he broke the plane," said Harbaugh, who indicated that he never received an explanation from the officials. "That's what I saw."

Sound familiar?

The one silver lining to that game: It didn't end the Ravens' season. They beat the Dallas Cowboys the next week to stay alive in the postseason race, then handled the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 17 to sew up the AFC's sixth and final playoff spot.

In the wild-card round, the Ravens took down the AFC East champion Miami Dolphins. Then they knocked off the top-seeded Tennessee Titans.